What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than a festive brunch? Of course, I don’t need much of a reason to have brunch, but it’s nice to have an occasion to make it more special. You can honor your own mom, your mother-in-law, your friends who are mothers, or just celebrate the ideas of mothers in general!

When I’m thinking about a brunch menu, I like for as much of it to be make ahead as possible. I might start with this Overnight Artichoke-and-Ham Strata that I can assemble the night before and bake the morning of the brunch.

To go with the strata, easy Fruit Salad with Lemon-Honey Dressing is perfect and can be assembled early in the day and chilled until it’s time to serve. You can take a shortcut and buy prechopped fresh fruit if you need to shorten your prep time. Or just buy one of those containers of fresh mixed fruits and make the dressing.

Now don’t forget the most important part of the Mother’s Day brunch–the cocktails! Start with a “Mom-mosa” or Bloody Mary Punch (great for a crowd) and let your guest sip on festive drinks while you do the final meal preparations.